Personal Duress Button at Singapore General Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine
Care Process & Redesign
National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals
SingHealth
13 June 2025
The aim of the project is to improve staff safety and satisfaction by implementing a personal duress button for Emergency. The personal duress button system is a sustainable and cost-effective solution that leverages existing infrastructure to improve staff.
Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 13 June 2025
Tags: Workflow Redesign, Care Process ＆ Redesign, Quality Improvement, Value Based Care, Functional Outcome, Product Development, Proof Of Concept
About this Content
Aims
The aim of the project is to improve staff safety and satisfaction by implementing a personal duress button for Emergency Department (ED) staff at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) to self-activate Code Grey, ensuring timely physical intervention before situations escalate.
Background
The SGH Department of Emergency Medicine experiences the highest number of abusive encounters with patients or Next-Of-Kin (NOK) compared to the rest of the hospital. The existing method of activating Code Grey requires staff to run to the nearest PA system, which is not always feasible. There is a need for a more efficient system to ensure staff safety and improve response times.
Methods
The project involved re-engineering the existing Real-time Location System (RTLS) to include a personal duress button for ED staff. This system allows staff to self-activate Code Grey, alerting security and colleagues to their location. The project team included various departments such as ED, Security, Workplace Safety & Health (WSH), Innovation & Technology (InT), and others. The system went live on 17 November 2023.
Results
The implementation of the personal duress button has reduced the time to assistance and helped maintain a calmer environment for patients. It has also boosted staff morale and mental wellbeing, resulting in minimized disruptions to patient care and encouraging staff retention. False alerts were initially an issue but were mitigated by using clips and overlays on the device buttons.
Conclusion
The personal duress button system is a sustainable and cost-effective solution that leverages existing infrastructure to improve staff safety and satisfaction in a high-stress environment like the ED. It can be easily implemented across new buildings due to similar infrastructure.
Lessons Learnt
The implementation of the personal duress button has reduced the time to assistance and helped maintain a calmer environment for patients. It has also boosted staff morale and mental wellbeing, resulting in minimized disruptions to patient care and encouraging staff retention. False alerts were initially an issue but were mitigated by using clips and overlays on the device buttons.
Keywords
duress button, staff safety, emergency department
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | SingHealth |
Organization(s) Involved | Singapore General Hospital |
Platform(s) | National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Healthcare Administration, Nursing |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Healthcare Administrators, Nursing |
Project Lead(s) | Sanda Thangarajoo |
Project Member(s) | Lee Guan Teck |
Connect with this contributor!
Ms Tan Su Hui - tan.su.hui@sgh.com.sg